Images

10 Largest Earthquakes Ever Recorded (Updated 2025)

#10. MAGNITUDE 8.6 (1950). Arunachal Pradesh, India - Referred to as the Assam-Tibet earthquake, this quake produced intense shaking, triggered sandblows, ground cracks, and large landslides across the region. All told, 780 people died.

Alaska Science Center Data Management staff organize, scan, and digitally archive physical data. Once published as part of a data release, the physical data are organized and placed into banker boxes, labeled with pertinent information, such as the data release DOI, and moved to a secure location.

Overview map and location of the Tracy Arm landslide-generated tsunami event. The imagery is not current, and the South Sawyer Glacier has retreated over a kilometer from what is depicted. 

Oblique aerial photo of the August 10, 2025 landslide captured during a field reconnaissance overflight on August 13, 2025. Look direction is to the west.​

Oblique aerial photo of the August 10, 2025 landslide source area captured during a field reconnaissance overflight on August 13, 2025. Look direction is approximately north.​

Photo of tsunami-inundated shoreline at Williams Cove, near the mouth of Tracy Arm. Look direction is approximately north.​

Oblique aerial photo of the August 10, 2025 landslide taken from across the fiord during a field reconnaissance overflight on August 13, 2025. Look direction is approximately north.​

Oblique aerial photo of the August 10, 2025 landslide source area captured during a field reconnaissance overflight on August 13, 2025. Look direction is approximately north.​

Comparison of (a) pre- and (b) post-event satellite images showing the source area of the August 10th landslide that impacted Tracy Arm. The dashed line in (a) shows the approximate location of the front of South Sawyer Glacier on August 7th, 2025 (mapped from imagery © 2025 Planet Labs PBC).

Oblique aerial photo of the August 10, 2025 landslide, and tsunami trimline, captured during a field reconnaissance overflight on August 13, 2025. Look direction is to the northwest.​

Oblique aerial photo of the August 10, 2025 landslide headscarp. Look direction is to the northwest.​

Oblique aerial photo of the August 10, 2025 landslide across-fiord runup zone and South Sawyer Glacier captured during a field reconnaissance overflight on August 13, 2025. Look direction is to the southeast.​

Oblique aerial photo of the August 10, 2025 landslide and South Sawyer Glacier captured during a field reconnaissance overflight on August 13, 2025. Look direction is to the southeast.​

Oblique aerial photo of the August 10, 2025 landslide. Look direction is to the south.​

Oblique aerial photo of Sawyer Island captured during a field reconnaissance overflight on August 13, 2025. Look direction is to the southeast.​

This is an icon used for the Earthquake Notification Service product as illustrated on the Earthquake Hazards Program products page.

This is an icon used for the Earthquake Scenarios product as illustrated on the Earthquake Hazards Program products page.

This is an icon used for the Ground Failure product as illustrated on the Earthquake Hazards Program products page.

This is an icon used for the Finite Fault product as illustrated on the Earthquake Hazards Program products page.

This is an icon used for the Moment Tensors product as illustrated on the Earthquake Hazards Program products page.

This is an icon used for the ShakeAlert product as illustrated on the Earthquake Hazards Program products page.